Insecurity and creativity are intertwined. By confronting what makes us uncomfortable, we can overcome what holds us back and discover who we really are on our journey to become the most creative versions of ourselves. But discovering yourself is difficult in a world that’s not reflective of who you are. For people who come from traditionally marginalized backgrounds – including Black, Indigenous and People of Colour – that makes growing into creativity even more difficult.

On Friday, June 26, CreativeMornings Ottawa will host a panel discussion on insecurity, creativity and inclusion. The panelists will bring their personal relationship with insecurity and the unique challenge of confronting what makes them uncomfortable in a world that frequently marginalizes diverse voices. The event will highlight these panelists’ efforts to create spaces of inclusion and representation and, in the process, create environments where people are free to celebrate who they are.

(Moderator) Sharon Nyangweso is the Founder and CEO of QuakeLab, a full-stack communications and inclusion agency. Sharon specializes in a radical new approach to diversity and inclusion that is measurable, strategic, and based on a strong foundation of human-centred design. A thought leader in moving inclusivity from aspiration to action and empathetic community engagement. An immigrant from Kenya who now lives and worked in Canada, Sharon has worked across sectors with organizations in 11 countries.

Lindsay Kavanagh is a digital marketing expert and the co-founder of Dapper & Daring, an online directory of LGBTQ+ friendly businesses in the Ottawa region. Dapper & Daring launched in the summer of 2017 and is run and maintained by a small group of dedicated volunteers. Lindsay is also the digital marketing manager at Invest Ottawa , advertising professor at Algonquin College, and a digital marketing consultant.

Harar Hall is a queer Jamaican-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist, poet and baker currently living, working and creating on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin/ Anishinaabe territory. They founded Sweet Hart Desserts in 2019 with the goal of bringing people together with delicious and beautiful vegan treats. They use their art and poetry to explore themes of identity recognizing that these themes inform their experiences with love, lust, belonging, happiness, empowerment and, person storytelling. In all of their work they center healing.

Claudia Gutierrez is a Latin-Canadian artist living in Ottawa. Her studies specialized in painting and printmaking, recently informing her exploration of textile work after completing residencies in Canada and Mexico. She has been an active advocate and cultural worker for the local arts community for the past decade. By utilizing her training in embroidery, hand dying and printmaking, Claudia imbues a sense of methodical mark making, repetitive and meditative contrasting her process which is often reliant on chance and improvisation.

Kevin Bourne is a Toronto-native turned Ottawa-based media/entertainment entrepreneur, freelance journalist, and media personality. He’s the co-founder and CEO of PR and content marketing firm SHIFTER Agency Inc. and is currently co-host of The Morning Shift, Ottawa’s daily hip-hop morning radio show. ​The former political staffer has quickly becoming a staple in Ottawa and Canada’s cultural landscape as both a commentator and freelancer. Doubling as editor-in-chief and columnist at SHIFTER magazine, Kevin has covered some of Canada’s top red carpet events, from the Junos to the Canadian Screen Awards and has interviewed everyone from Kevin Hart to"Fast and the Furious" star Tyrese Gibson to Best Director Oscar nominee Lenny Ambrahamson.